We all know that awesome dates come with a price tag – even if you decide to go Dutch. We’ve compiled a list of budget date ideas that promises great fun even if you’re on a shoestring budget. #WeFeelYou

#1 Explore Nature Together

It’s time to leave the comforts of being a city kid and venture out into the wild. Head down down to Pulau Ubin for a bike ride or MacRitchie Reservoir Park for a hike. Both don’t cost much and both promote healthy living. This is the perfect way to see some lovely sites together and get those endorphins flowing. Just remember to bring plenty of insect repellant and sunscreen.

#2 Go to a Flea Market

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Both of you can have a great time hunting down bargains and treasures at a flea market. Discovering retro toys and comic books being sold well below their market value is always more enjoyable with someone at your side. Some regular flea markets you can visit are Public Garden, Zouk Flea & Easy and China Square Central.

#3 Do Good Together

Regardless of how poor you are, there’s always going to be somebody worse off than you. So why not try and help others together? It won’t cost you anything other than your time, and it will be a really great chance for you to get to know each other on a new level. Alternatively, you could twist this idea around by volunteering at a festival or convention so you can get in for free. Here’s a list of fun places you can volunteer at!

#4 Pick up Hobbies Together

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There are so many activities to do at home, it’s only a matter of putting in some effort. Cook up a storm by following cool recipes online or try out your grandmother’s recipe. If you wanna do away with the dirty dishes, there are always fun board games to choose from (we recommend 7 Wonders and Cards Against Humanity). Trade games with your friends and/or do a couples board game night to avoid spending good money at board games cafes.

#5 Visit our local Museums

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Did you know that we just need to flash our pink ICs at the counter and we can have free entry to all the national museums like Asian Civilisations Museum, Peranakan Museum, National Museum of Singapore and Singapore Art Museum? There are so many different galleries to check out and best part is that there are always new exhibitions every few months so you don’t have to worry about seeing the same things every time you visit.

Been sleeping at irregular hours or not getting enough snooze lately due to late-night cramming seshs? We have these simple tips that will allow you to have that much needed beauty sleep.

Food for Thought

We’ve all heard of the age-old reasoning of cutting off food three hours before bedtime, but what you might not know is that this has nothing to do with getting fat. Going to bed on a full stomach might trigger indigestion and heartburn, therefore keeping you up at night. If you really have to counter those hunger pangs, stick to a snack rich in protein like a piece of cheese or a cup of yogurt.

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Soak It Up & Stay Cool

Indulge in a nice warm soak before going to bed and keep your bedroom cool for a nice rest. While taking a warm bath increases your temperature, stepping into a cold room causes a dip in temperature. Your body will take it as a signal that you’re ready for slumber. Science!

Electronic Curfew

Exposure to blue light puts you at risk of sleeping disorders, and that includes TVs, computers and your beloved smartphone. A two-hour abstinence before bed is all you need. For desperate measures, turn to a pair of amber-tinted shades – these babies are proven to block the blue light from your screens.

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Nap Right

Avoid long day time naps as they can interfere with night time sleep, especially if you’re struggling with insomnia. If you choose to nap during the day, limit yourself to about 10 to 30 minutes and make it during the mid afternoon. Drinking a cup of coffee before taking a short nap will make you feel more alert when you wake up as well! As caffeine usually takes 20 to 30 minutes to get going, the trick is to consume it then immediately hit the hay. You’ll wake up just in time for the caffeine to kick in, making you extra alert.

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Aroma Therapy

Different scents have varying effects – therapeutic fragrances like lavender, vanilla and camomile have calming properties that lull you to sleep, while sandalwood and ylang ylang flower oils will help sooth the mind. Message some onto your temples or wrists before going to bed. It’s also an excuse to stock up on those scented candles.

Sick of looking at that boring study table of yours? Why not do a mini revamp, clean up that desk and get some awesome accessories to make studying more enjoyable? Here are some pretty lit ones we found online and if they’re too expensive, maybe you can subtly hint your friends that you want it as a present next time!

If your resolution is to get that #BeachBody this year, don’t despair if you don’t have extra funds for a gym membership. Here’s how you can get fit without breaking the bank.

1. Socialise More

Meet with friends and do activities together be it walking, running, hiking or cycling at Bishan Park. If you have lazy friends, join a fitness meet up and grab a friend along! Working out with other people is great for staying motivated and for singles maybe you’ll find your soul mate as well?

2. Utilise that Commercial Break

Guilty of being a couch potato? Jump rope, roll on a stability ball or give yourself mini challenges by counting how many crunches, sit-ups or squats you can do within a commercial break. Besides, the more intense the show is, the more pumped up you’ll get with the moves.

3. Online Fitness Gurus

Why fork out your hard earned money for an expensive course when you can get the same experience with these workouts online? YouTube is a treasure trove of instructional fitness channels from traditional aerobics all the way to high-intensity interval training routines. For starters, we recommend channels like Fitness Blender, Blogilates and Frugal Fitness.

4. Outdoor Exercise Stations

You can find exercise stations anywhere from public parks at Punggol to right below your house at Jurong. They come fully equipped with balance beams, pull up bars, sit-up benches and everything in-between. Well they are funded by tax payers’ money so might as well make full use of the stations.

5. Student Gyms

Best thing about being a student is that many school have excellent recreation facilities. Since these are typically funded by student fees, you may have an automatic membership once you enroll so take advantage of it!

6. Use Them Legs

Don’t be lazy and start taking the stairs whenever possible, and instead of taking that feeder bus home, try walking home from the train station. It helps you relax and unwind after a day in school or at work plus you can save that extra dollar.

7. Clean Up The House

Sweat it out and clean your place from top to bottom (even the darkest corners) once a week for a vigorous workout. In fact, you can burn 50,000 calories a year – that’s 6.5kg of fat just from cleaning up!

Remember that sweat is your fat crying, so get off your ass and make it weep!

What are some things you hated as a child but love to do now? We list down a few just for laughs.

Haircuts

Remember how you’d dread having to sit still at the salon for what it seems like forever? Now we can’t wait to get that super awesome hair wash, head massage, plus how our hair are always perfectly blow dried and styled when we leave the salon.

Salad

We didn’t understand why adults love munching on raw green leaves all the time when we didn’t even like cooked ones! But considered us converts ’cause we’ll take salad with any type of sauce anytime anyday.

Naps

Though it’s scientifically proven that naps do help children’s brains to develop better, we still weren’t particularly fond of naps as well ’cause that means lesser time to play! But hey, give us a chance to nap now and we’ll jump into our beds gladly.

Siblings

Siblings, you either love them or hate them. We used to fight over toys and cry over who’s the favourite child. But all’s in the past now that we’re grown ups – we talk about school/job, relationships, parents and anything else under the sun.

News

As kids, we didn’t quite get why adults sit in front of the television and watch the news religiously at 10pm every night. Admit it! You find the news boring as hell when you were young too. Now with social media, we see news updates all the time and honestly don’t mind it a single bit. It’s always good to stay updated.

Long drives

We were impatient little pricks when we were young and would ask if we were reaching our destination every now and then (sorry mum, sorry dad). That said, we’ve learnt to appreciate long drives now especially the scenery.

Talking about our day

“How was your day?” and “What did you learn in school today?” Sounds familiar? Usually we’ll just give a half hearted reply just to shrug our parents off but we talk so much now, sometimes they would stuff our mouths with food just to shut us up.

Image Credit: Getty, Pexel

Have any funny stories to share with us? Let us know in the comment box below!

Established in 1988, Teenage is Singapore’s first and number one youth publication, and the ultimate companion guide for young adults who want to know the latest in entertainment news, fashion and music trends.